UM allegedly threatens to arrest early birds for MSU Game
According to some reporters online, UM had a designated 5am lineup time for the students today. But when some students showed up early, the school threatened to arrest them.
Some U-M students said they lined up at 5 a.m. and were threatened with being arrested -- because they arrived too early. #huh
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) February 23, 2014
Apparently, it's illegal to line up early in Ann Arbor. RT @official_jmort: @detnewsRodBeard I'm one of them...that is 100% true rod
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) February 23, 2014
Getting tweets from Michigan students who arrived before the designated 5am line-up time. School allegedly "threatening to arrest" 100+ fans
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) February 23, 2014
Seems a bit excessive
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^
I hate to interrupt the anti-DB circlejerk we've got going on here, but is he really responsible for the (alleged) students being arrested early? It seems like we've just taken an assumption and jumped off the cliff with it.
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
Nobody was arrested. In my opinion, the officer was probably instructed not to allow the stduents to line up early. He probably asked them to move. They probably didn't. He probably said something like "come on guys, don't make me arrest you," thereby acting on his own.
I don't know anything about this situation. This is my speculation. I just doubt that they would told the cops to arrest students. Since nobody was arrested, why are we arguing about this?
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^
MGoBlog won't be happy until Dave Brandon is dead.
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:52 AM ^
You guys will look for any reason to hate who you hate. Even if you have to make it up. Surprised no one is blaming Hoke for this yet..
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
If he wore a headset, the team would won more games. If Hoke won more games, the students wouldn't be forced to care so much about basketball. If the students weren't forced to care about so much about basketball they wouldn't have to go to Crisler two hours before they were supposed to. If they didn't have to go to Crisler two hours before they were supposed to, they would have lined up properly. If they would have lined up properly, they wouldn't have almost been arrested. GOD DAMN IT BRADY HOKE. PUT ON A DAMN HEADSET.
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:16 PM ^
order DirecTV and don't end up getting arrested for lining up early.
right?
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:05 PM ^
But either way mass murder and apocalytic war isn't something to joke bout or to use casually in an argument.
Oh and you are in violation of Godwin's Law.
February 23rd, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^
This is empirical evidence for Godwin's Law, like how dropping an object is empirical evidence for the Law of Gravity.
February 24th, 2014 at 10:03 AM ^
You are in violation of the Law of Gravity! Stop juggling and get down on your stomach!
February 23rd, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:22 PM ^
Maybe they didn't want the students lining up before their is sufficient light or not warm enough, preventing any litigation issues from arising. For instance, MSU told students to show up only hours before the last UM game due to temperature. Just a possibility
February 23rd, 2014 at 6:30 PM ^
I got there at 8, and it was still damn cold. I want to know why they couldn't let people into the arena another hour earlier, and my friend and I could only come up with not having ushers there as early as a potential reason.
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:48 AM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 1:06 PM ^
Though, to be fair most we're probably out on the concourse paying $6 for a hotdog.
February 23rd, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^
i don't get this whole lineup for games thing for basketball and football. there has to be a better way to get the best fans those good seats. hell, the weekend is when i did my most studying. i couldn't imagine having to waste several hours sitting in line to get seats to a game.
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^
over react much? how you gonna get mad for students showing up early to support the team? I think I have seen it all
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^
I am someone who in general supports Dave Brandon, not all of his decisions, but I at least can understand where he is coming from for most of the ones I don't support. This on the other hand is rediculous. This is a huge game, if people want to be out there for days then let them!
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
I mean, the police arrest folks for lining too early on Black Friday all the time, right?
Oh they don't? Fancy that.
Did Brian not just write a column about how going to games is not as fun as it used to be? I mean, holy hell, the students are excited to be at the most important BB game of the year (so far), and you have police threatening arrest for "being there too early"? WTF is this shit?
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^
Who do they think they are? Next game no studnents should even show up. This is out of control.
February 23rd, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 1:11 PM ^
Land of the free. The song says so.
February 23rd, 2014 at 1:21 PM ^
$100 to line up before midnight
$75 to line up before 5 am
$50 to line up after 5 am
but for a special pre-deposit you can line up before midnight for only $99!!!
I expect the AD to roll this out by the end of the season
February 23rd, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^
piss em off and take their pennies. This is clown-act stuff, especially compared to something like Duke.
February 23rd, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
February 24th, 2014 at 12:59 AM ^
The problem is that only 1/3 of the student section is in the lower bowl and the other 2/3 in the upper bowl. The students that lined up early were asked to move to the back of the line. I got in line at about 7:15 and got first row of the upper bowl. So in 15 minutes we filled the entire lower bowl student section.
The student section has to be expanded in the lower bowl.
February 23rd, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^
I got there slightly before 7 AM. So, when I got there, a line had formed where the students usually line up for games. It was pretty long, a few hundred people definitely. And then at 7, as I'm standing there in line, the Maize Rage (student run organization) president, was standing in the parking lot next to the stadium and said "It's 7 AM, line starts right here, now!" (not per quote, just something along those liens). Shocked, the back half of the line ran to where she was standing and lined up, and the front half. They were having us line up over there, and then they were going to write numbers on our hands and then put us back into the normal line based on those numbers.
Justifiably pissed, the front half of the early student line refused to move, at which point they called the cops to move them. Idk, how much had to do with the administration, but to me it seemed like something that was completely Maize Rage generated (so students) and that the rule was in place so that the top Maize Rage people didn't have to camp.
February 23rd, 2014 at 3:26 PM ^
I'd be pissed if I had been waiting in line for a long time and some annoying girl shows up and randomly starts her own line. Seems like an abuse of power.
February 23rd, 2014 at 6:50 PM ^
Yes. This precisely. Tone, empathy, standard human emotion when addressing hundreds of people goes a long way in the real world when you need to interact with real human beings.
February 23rd, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 6:41 PM ^
I was there. The unrest had nothing to do with the rules for lining up, but rather the way in which it was poorly handled. If memory serves correctly the line started forming in a rush 15 minutes before 7? Most everyone had formed a pre-line over by the bus stop, so it was not a blatant violation of the 7AM rule before some catalyst caused everyone to sprint like herd animals to the gate. Once everyone was lined up if we were too early, security could have let everyone know. The security guards saw people line up and they did not tell us to leave or come back at 7am.
The issue began when members of the core (most notably this aweful wench in pajamas and boots) were there making passive-aggressive statements to the general area for the people who lined up outside the gate. At this point the line is a few hundred people starting from the steps going all the way back like the line normally is. After some passive-aggressive plotting, the core turned aggressive and arbitrarily started a line further back in the parking lot near the end of the line. Again, like animals, the back of the line rushed to the new designated spot, leaving all the people in the front to look on in dismay as their almost assured maize rage position (and their efforts of spending hours upon hours of valuable sunday time) outside in the cold was all for nought as the new line swelled. Justifiably, the front people were upset that the situation wasn't handled better they could've justs pushed the line back. The argument for starting the new line that the president later apologized for during the damage control inside the locker area was that the original line was not FAIR for their friends and (she mentioned her twitter followers) becaues they got their later thinking the line was going to start later--(BOOHOO).
In fairness, all the security people were mostly super cool and felt bad for us who waited hours in a pre-line to then form a line and then to find out that the line was slightly too early. There was one notable douchebag security officer with a goattee that felt this was the perfect time to flex his power and yelling at people thereby escalating the mood of the crowd. Cops were called and they threatened to arrest all 119 of us who remained in the original line. In a move of absolute solidarity, I thank the others who stayed because they were fully expecting to bully us to concede. Only because the students stood together there did the Assistant AD finally call us over and try to mend the situation. They kept us in the locker room area while they tried to figure out a way to damage control the situation without starting a riot. Eventually tickets to section 130 were procured and I do appreciate the consolation of the new section; however, I'm sure people did not start waiting at 3AM by the bus stop in a pre-line if they were not intent on sitting in the maize rage bleachers (which are way too small for a basketball arena but that's a whole different tangent argument). I hope this does not come off as a whine post, but rather as a diary of a slice of perspective from someone who was of the 119 stuck in line-purgatory.
Regardless of all this, the most important thing was that Chrysler was still electric and Michigan still pulled the sweep of Michigan State. Go Blue!
TLDNR: Some (not all) people in positions of power did not treat the fans as real people with real lives spending real time.
February 24th, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
I was in the first line, too. I respect your commitment to staying in line despite being threatened. After the cops showed up, I bailed to the second line (what can I say, I got scared), but kudos to you guys for sticking it out. It's because of you guys that there is a case that can be used to make a difference in the future. Sorry you didn't get bleachers, but congrats again on sticking it out! Go Blue!
February 23rd, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
So, one cop makes the decision to threaten to arrest some students who wont move to a designated line-up spot, or some version of that (it doesn't really matter), and this shows how f-upped the AD is?
Another example of the anti-DB zombies coming out at the mere hint of blood. Where's Michonne when we need her?
February 23rd, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^
February 23rd, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
From what I understood, many of these people were not members of the core Maize Rage. When the Maize Rage got there, they said that how early they got there was not relevant because it was a 7:30 official lineup time.
The rest is hearsay, but I believe the Maize Rage was the one who got the ball rolling on these threats, with the backing of the athletic department.
February 24th, 2014 at 10:10 AM ^
Here's an overly complicated solution to something that shouldn't be a problem, in the spirit of MGoBlog:
Why not have a lottery that determines seating priority for anybody who arrives before the official lineup time? That eliminates the advantage of showing up earlier than 6:59 am, but still gives those people priority over those who show up at 7:01.
February 24th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
Like many other students that have already shared their experiences, I too was in the initial line. I showed up with one of my friends around 6:45, thinking 15 minutes was not going to be that big of a deal. I saw the mass of people run through the parking lot from the bus stop, but decided to walk behind them as I was still going to be in the bowl.
My friend and I got in line, probably about 150 people back from the start of the line. We lined up in the same spot that we have for every other game (in front of the student gate, up a flight of stairs by the Big House tunnel) and just stood there peacefully, assuming we would be freezing, like usual, until we were let in at 10:30 or so.
About 20 minutes went by, when a car pulled into the parking lot. About 5 people got out and started talking to the security guard, as previously described. After talking, the group formed a mass at the bottom of the stairs leading into the line where we were standing. The girl shouted, "You guys aren't in line! This is the actual line." (Excuse me if that is paraphrased.) Some rushed to that line, as an instinctual reaction.
My friend and I did not because we believed that she was trying to trick people to cut in line. No security guard before her said anything to us about trespassing, being too early, etc. (There were security guards standing around us before 7 a.m. - none of them said a word before that girl got there.)
For about 20 minutes, we just stayed in line, assuming that this would all just pass, as we were doing nothing wrong. One security guard said to me and my friend, "You guys should get in that line. This apparently isn't the line anymore." (Again, excuse my paraphrasing.) No official announcement was made, though, and the second line had already grown to about 300, so we did not want to risk losing our spots (which definitely would have been in the bleachers).
About 5 minutes later, a security guard went to the front of the line and made the announcement to everybody that we were all technically trespassing and that, if we did not get in the other line, they would call the police and we would be arrested. We were all outraged, as we thought we did nothing to prompt getting arrested. We waited about 5 more minutes when, not surprisingly, a cop car sped into the parking lot.
The cop announced to us that if we did not follow their orders and go to the end of the second line (which was now at about 400 or so students), we would be arrested or prevented from entering the game.
Now, I can talk a mean talk, but when it comes to getting arrested, I abide by the law. My friend and I gave up our fight and headed to the back of the second line. The brave souls that stuck it out did end up getting into section 130, but there was no way of us knowing that before we left the line. As I said, we thought we would get arrested.
When going down to the second line, we asked if we could go to the front of the line as a feeble attempt to maintain our good standing in the line. We were told no, and headed to the end. My friend and I ended up sitting in the upper bowl for the game.
While it is hard to complain about this situation because of the amazing game we got to watch, I am still disappointed in the entire situation. There were Maize Rage core members in the first line with us that were threatened, just like me and my friend. However, as the core, they ended up getting in the bleachers anyway, so I doubt they will complain to the Athletic Department. Furthermore, as I said, no security guard said anything to the students that arrived too early before the girl in question spoke with them.
What makes me the upset, however, is that we were threatened to be arrested for standing in line for a basketball game. Of all the illegal activities and dangerous behaviors college students partake in, standing in line 15 minutes too early seems to be low on the priority level of the police. However, we were threatened and, as a law-abiding citizen, I left the line. Those that had more courage than me were rewarded with decent (though not bleacher) seats to avoid PR trouble.
My view was not nearly as good as those courageous few. Like I said, it is hard for me to be upset after such an amazing game, but it is also hard for me to hold my tongue after such an injustice. For about three freezing hours of my Sunday, it was hard for me to be proud to call myself a Michigan Wolverine.
As a side note, there is obviously no way for me to prove to the Athletic Department that I was in the first line, as I left before the 119 students were talked to by the University. The only proof I have is a screenshot of a Snapchat my friend sent out of us standing in line. The only proof I have is my word.
Thanks for reading and Go Blue!